Possessive adjectives play a crucial role in expressing ownership or possession in Spanish. These adjectives help indicate to whom or to what something belongs. In this guide, we’ll break down the rules for possessive adjectives in Spanish.
Let’s start by familiarizing ourselves with the possessive adjectives in Spanish. These adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. (If you would like to go over the gender and number agreement in Spanish, you can visit and check the related page here) Here’s a chart illustrating the possessive adjectives:
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | mi (my) | mi (my) |
| 2nd Person | tu (your) | tu (your) |
| 3rd Person | su (his/her/its/your – formal) | su (his/her/its/your – formal) |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | nuestro/nuestra – nuestros/nuestras (our) | nuestra – nuestras (our) |
| 2nd Person | vuestro/vuestra – vuestros/vuestras (your – plural) | vuestras (your – plural) |
| 3rd Person | sus (their/your – formal) | sus (their/your – formal) |
Rules for Using Possessive Adjectives in Spanish:
- Agreement with Gender and Number:
- Possessive adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.
- For example: “mi casa” (my house) and “mis amigos” (my friends).
- First and Second Person Possessive Adjectives:
- “Mi” is used for singular possession in the first person, while “tu” is used for singular possession in the second person.
- For example: “Mi libro” (my book) and “Tu perro” (your dog).
- Third Person Possessive Adjectives:
- “Su” is used for both singular and plural possession in the third person. Pay attention to context for clarity.
- For example: “Su coche” (his/her car) and “Sus hijos” (their children).
- Plural Possessive Adjectives:
- When expressing plural possession, use the plural form of the possessive adjective.
- For example: “Nuestros padres” (our parents) and “Vuestras casas” (your houses).
- mi: Used to indicate possession by the first person singular (yo).
- tu: Used to indicate possession by the second person singular (tú).
- su: Used to indicate possession by the third person singular (él, ella) or for formal “your” (usted).
- nuestro/a(s): Used to indicate possession by the first person plural (nosotros/nosotras).
- vuestro/a(s): Used to indicate possession by the second person plural (vosotros/vosotras).
- su: Used to indicate possession by the third person plural (ellos/ellas) or for formal “your” (ustedes).
Examples:
- Mi hermana tiene mi libro. (My sister has my book.)
- Tu amigo es muy simpático. (Your friend is very nice.)
- ¿Dónde está su mochila? (Where is his/her backpack?)
- Nos gustan nuestros vecinos. (We like our neighbors.)
- ¿Habéis perdido vuestras llaves? (Have you lost your keys?)
- Mi profesor nos dio mi tarea.
(My teacher gave us my assignment.) - A nuestros amigos les gustó nuestra idea.
(Our friends liked our idea.) - ¿Has visto sus llaves?
(Have you seen his/her/your (formal) keys?) - Vuestras bicicletas son muy bonitas.
(Your (plural) bikes are very nice.)
Remember to pay attention to the gender and number agreement between the possessive adjective and the noun it modifies. These examples showcase how possessive adjectives help convey ownership or possession in various contexts.
